Rimfire Central Firearm Forum banner

Remington Nylon Haters

6K views 46 replies 33 participants last post by  A square 10 
#1 ·
Was just browsing the rimfire section of 24 hour campfire forum (I'm not a member there) and saw a thread from May of this year where someone was asking about the Nylon 66.
4 pages of mostly hate, although a few did praise the Nylons.

Some of the comments were "terrible accuracy, terrible reliability, jam-o-matic, couldn't hit a gallon paint can at 50 feet, won't hold zero even with the irons, have two in the back of my safe and can't sell them", etc.

One guy said he's a lefty and he has never seen a rifle that hit him with more powder particles than the Nylon 66.
Odd because I'm a lefty, and I've NEVER been hit with any debris from my Nylons.
(My first .22 was a hand me down 550-1 and it blasted my face with powder particles every time I shot it).

Those comments were the exact opposite of my experiences. Mine has never jammed, and with common HV hunting ammo like Golden Bullets, Mini Mags and RWS HVHP, mine will group 3/8" to 1/2" at 25 yards, and holds zero.
I have a Williams peep mounted on the cover's dovetail, and a higher Williams fiber optic front sight.

Don't even mention Golden Bullets outside of the Remington section here, or you will be flamed. I admit I didn't shoot many back when they had priming problems years ago, then I mostly shot Super-X or Mini-Mags.
But all the GB's I've shot in the last 2 years all go bang, and are not far behind the Mini-Mags in all my rifles accuracy wise.

My new (old) SA-22, BL-22 and Ruger Single Six do very well with Goldens.
 
See less See more
#5 ·
I believe you've nailed it. Over the years I've found if there is one constant on that forum it is that if one of the senior, high post count, members throws out an opinion there are always a bunch of echos that jump in to agree. And if you are brave enough to question or dispute then a posse of loyal followers will run you down. There are always exceptions but those comments about the Remington nylon rifles runs contrary to my experience and everybody I know. There are always exceptions but rare I'm sure
 
#4 ·
I agree. As tough as the Nylons are, they are not idiot proof.
Oiling instead of using a dry lube or nothing at all, cranking the cover bolts down too tight, rather than go with a smaller/lighter optic, grabbing the fore end way out front and torqueing it when you shoot, all things that most don't think about.

I remembered how great my 66 that I used throughout high school, and started looking around for another last spring. I saw one in Payson advertised for $200, I got him down to $180. Ones I saw last weekend at a gun show were $325 to $375 and were beat up.
And that guy on 24 hour campfire says he has two he can't get rid of !

There was a nice but not pristine Apache Black at that same show priced at $650.

Mine came with a cheapo 3/4" tube scope that I couldn't even see through, and the cover screws were on so tight it wouldn't function.
Barrel was a bit rusty, so since I do Cerakote, I sandblasted the barrel and cover and did them in Sniper Grey Cerakote.
An even more weatherproof rifle now:


That forum has never impressed me much, I just happened to see the 4 page thread on Nylons and was curious as to what it contained.
 
#12 ·
Tell that to Tom Frye who shot all those wood blocks many years ago. I think he had about 4 misfires out of 100,000+ shots.

I have several Nylons, both foreign and domestic, in several flavors....and they are ALL GREAT SHOOTERS.
Remington used to advertise their Nylon rifles with that shooting exhibition.

They were inexpensive, yet reliable and reasonably accurate rifles. I like mine. They aren't a Browning SA-22, but they didn't cost as much either. Folks that put them down aren't very informed. I can understand someone not liking the Nylon stock and stamped parts. They aren't for a forged steel and walnut aficionado, however they do work well.
 
#7 ·
It's my first rifle, and I'm a lefty---I have noticed a few particles in the face, but very few. Jams? None I can recall, and it has had thousands and thousands of rounds run through it. Hold zero? It's no bench rest rifle but it is a great plinker and will do the job as a small game rifle too if the shooter does their job.

Mine has a receiver mounted peep sight (old eyes can't do open sights anymore) and it used to wear a scope. I never noticed any "won't hold zero" issues but I never shot it off a bench so can't say with any certainty. Have certainly heard this complaint more than any other.
 
#8 ·
Many years ago when the Nylon 22 was introduced, I purchased a couple. Different models I believe. For me they were very reliable and accurate enough. However, to me they just felt cheap, like handling a Tupperware eating utensil. I simply could not warm up to them and gave them away to someone who showed interest. I would have felt the same way about an all plastic shovel, an all plastic socket set or an all plastic bicycle. I simply don't like it when my tools flex, even if they work well enough to complete the job. I don't have confidence that they will hold up well enough to depend on em. Hate them? No. Want to carry one or even own one? No.
 
#11 ·
No confidence that they will hold up well enough to depend on ?
I've shot a lot of different types and brands of .22s over the last 50 plus years, and the Nylon is for sure the toughest .22 rifle I can think of.

Ones 50 years old are still going strong, some that have been abused and neglected.
Eskimos leave them in their kayaks to shoot seals with. Trappers use them.
There is a reason that prices have shot up. They sold for less than $50 when new and now bring $300 to $500.
They would not be so desirable if they were crap.
 
#10 ·
The op's headline attracted me to read this thread. It is ridiculous to "hate" any inanimate object. The Nylon Remington rifles came out when I was a teenager and looked very cool to most of us young teenagers. They were very esoteric to a kid in the early 60s. They had a good reputation for reliability based on a wood block shoot Remington promoted. I would ignore any hate talk about them. The internet can generate hate or love about anything and without a scintilla of evidence to support such claims
 
#15 ·
I owned a new Nylon 66 back in the day and it was a fun, reliable little rifle. I never had one single malfunction. My only negative memory was one day I was out squirrel hunting on a windy day and I tried an unsupported shot and the wind was blowing that light rifle all over the place!:D But that wasn't the fault of the rifle. I didn't own the rifle long, but wasn't the rifle, it was just me always wanting something else so I had to trade in something I had to fund the new purchase. I've lost a lot of good guns that way.:eek:
 
#16 ·
My Nylon 66

I received a Nylon 66 as a Christmas present in 1962. I was probably more excited about that one present than all the others put together! It always worked well, had no mechanical issues and was quite accurate. Now, 58 years later, I still have that rifle sitting in my gun closet. Even though I have used it a lot, it still looks just about new. I've even used it for steel plate matches, using the clear plastic reloading tubes to be able to reload quickly. I have added a rear peep sight to help my aging eyes be able to see the smaller targets quickly. I also filled up a couple of small zip lock baggies with #9 shot and put them in the stock void under the barrel to add some weight to the front of the rifle. I seriously doubt that I will ever get rid of it but will pass it down to my son or grandson.
 
#19 ·
HATE seems to be a strong word to use. The NYLON rifles was an experiment by Remington/DuPont at a point in history. For the most part it was very successful. IF an individual doesn't like them they should leave them alone! They were NOT built as target rifles; but every day plinkers/hunters. Mine from 1960 has always hit what I shot at and has never failed to load, fire, and eject any long rifle ammo I fed it. It never out all rounds in one hole and it wasn't meant to.
 
#22 ·
My uncle went through three Nylon 66s while **** hunting, he wore them out and Remington replaced them. He was on his fourth one when he passed on a few years ago. He was a big fan of them. I'm sure the horse uncle rode did most of the damage to the broken guns, snapping off stocks was it's special behavior.
Dad's coyote-hunting buddy bought an Apache Black for his son some years later.
They were nice and light weight rifles, but the balance was always "off" for me, they just felt wrong because of that. Other than the balance issue, I had no opinion of them, one way or another, but Gilbert sure liked them.
 
#26 ·
I started shooting in the mid to late 60s and was used to wood and steel firearms.
I didn't think much of the M16 I used in the Army.

I still prefer wood and steel, but like carbineone said above, for some reason the Nylon wasn't repulsive to me. I thought they were cool then, and still do.
The fact that it performed flawlessly and was more accurate than I expected helped.
I regret not having one from 1977 until last year, when I finally got my hands on another.
 
#30 ·
as a kid i wanted one , could not justify the expense , in later life when i was replacing those i had "lost" over life i added two - first the mohawk brown , then the apache black , i love my two ,

never really lumped these in the same category with my M16 & AR 15s but yes , i see the similarity in the thinking with the synthetic experimental stocks , ive grown to appreciate them ,

i prefer my wood stocked traditional rifles in general , i like wood and steel , but im now way more accepting of these synthetics - the older ones mostly ,
 
#32 ·
How a rifle performs is much more important to me than how it looks, or is perceived by others.
The Nylon .22s perform way, way better than they look.

And I do own several nice wood and steel .22's, a first year 552 Speedmaster, a Belgian SA-22, a BL-22 and a CZ 452.

If the SHTF, the Nylon 66 is the one I'd grab.
 
#34 ·
I had one that I picked up about fifteen years ago for $50, should have bought all three that were on the rack. My specimen had a bulged barrel hidden under the forearm and shot terrible.
Traded even up for an early 552 last spring at a pawnshop that is in excellent condition and shoots very well. The pawnshop has sold several in the past year for $350-550. Don’t agree with the inflated prices they have on them now but I guess people are willing to pay the price.
 
#35 ·
The only thing I don't like about them is that they're a bit of a pain to reassemble if you take the bolt and striker out, or worse yet take them apart even further. Other than that I've always liked mine. I agree they don't feel like a "real" rifle, but unlike many people I actually prefer my .22s to be small and light. No sense having a 7+ lb rifle that shoots little itty bitty cartridges.
 
#40 ·
That is a great clip. Yep thats what they cost back then and they were and still are great rifles. When my boys were in high school I would buy them a case of ammo about every 6 weeks. Back then you could buy a case of 5K for 60-70 bucks if you watched the sales. I don't ever remember a failure to feed or fire. What I miss the most is the boys are sneaking up on 50 years old and working around the clock. I just hardly see them these days. The rifle is still here in the safe.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top